Our water heater finally gave up the ghost after over 17 years of service. That may be putting it too strongly since it was still keeping the water hot but had only become incontinent. We decided not to push our luck, though, and opted for a replacement. A nice and seemingly competent young man handled the job without delay and we are on to the next problem. Our internet service went kaput the week before and we managed to get that problem remedied without too much jump and jive. It was interesting that the plumber had to jump through some hoops unrelated to the water heater. He had to install anti-siphon gizmos on all the outdoor faucets, for one thing. Then he had to install a couple of carbon monoxide detectors in the hall outside the bedrooms. He even had to peek at our toilet tanks to make sure that, well, I’m not sure what he was making sure that. Checking for leaks, maybe. You may be thinking, “Well, he was just running up the tab on us.” Could be, but he seemed like a sincere young man and he explained that these things all were required by the code enforcement Nazis, my word, not his. When he had finished the job, he had to do a virtual inspection with his phone and a code inspector on the other end of the line. He had to crawl up in the attic and let the CI see that, yes, there was sufficient clearance around the vent; that the anti-siphon gizmos were installed; that the detectors, fire and carbon monoxide, were installed. He even had to test them in the virtual presence of the CI. With the way things are going in our country, I think it might be prudent to closely examine the detectors to make sure there are no cameras and/or listening devices. Just because you are paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.
Continue reading “Febrrruary”Febrrruary
by rakeeter 
